Monthly Archives: November 2015

Internet Monitor is a research project based at Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society. Internet Monitor’s aim is to evaluate, describe, and summarize the means, mechanisms, and extent of Internet content controls and Internet activity around the world. The project helps researchers, advocates, policymakers, and user communities understand trends in Internet health and activity through research, analysis, and data visualization. This will be added to World Wide Web Reference Subject Tracer™. This will be added to Entrepreneurial Resources Subject Tracer™. This will be added to Internet Demographics Subject Tracer™.

The Data Transparency Coalition advocates on behalf of the private sector and the public interest for the publication of government information as standardized, machine-readable data. They believe governments should adopt non-proprietary data standards for the information they generate or collect, and publish such information as machine-readable data, especially with regard to their spending, regulatory, legislative, and judicial activity. The transformation of public information generated and received by governments from disconnected documents into interoperable open data will: a) Strengthen democratic accountability by making public data more accessible for citizens and watchdogs; b) Enhance government management by improving data sharing and analytics capabilities; and c) Reduce compliance costs by automating reporting processes. Data transparency also stimulates tech-sector innovation and creates jobs. The Data Transparency Coalition, on behalf of both the private sector and the public interest: 1) Advocates legislative and regulatory mandates for data standardization and publication; 2) Educates government leaders, private-sector innovators, and the public on the benefits of data transparency; and 3) Convenes stakeholders to collaboratively design policies and build technology solutions that will drive the data transparency transformation. This has been added to Research Resources Subject Tracer™ Information Blog.

STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. STEM subjects are integral to the UK’s success: the UK is the world’s sixth largest manufacturer, engineering turnover is around £800 billion per year, and whilst the UK makes up only 1% of the world’s population, we produce 10% of the world’s top scientific research. Despite this, it is remarkable to note that even though STEM graduates have the potential to earn amongst the highest salaries of all new recruits, employers are finding it difficult to recruit STEM skilled staff. And alongside our need for a skilled STEM workforce, it is crucial that all young people, regardless of their future career pathway, have the STEM knowledge and skills they need to be an informed citizen in an increasingly scientific and technological society. This will be added to Education and Academic Resources Subject Tracer™. This will be added to Student Research Resources Subject Tracer™.

While R might not look like much at first glance, data analysts all over the world use the free, open-source data analysis software to run statistics on everything from psychology research to the stock market. Created in 1996 by two statistics professors in New Zealand, the programming language is comparatively user-friendly especially when paired with R Studio (https://www.rstudio.com/), a free downloadable template. Admittedly, learning the language takes work. However, there are a number of sites around the web with tutorials and tips, as well as easily locatable R help books, online support groups, and videos on YouTube and Vimeo. For data analysts who are tired of the limitations and costs of SPSS and other corporate programs, R is an extremely powerful and fluid alternative. This will be added to Statistics Resources and Big Data Subject Tracer™. this will be added to the tools section of Research Resources Subject Tracer™ Information Blog.

For those readers who post consistently on various social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+, Buffer can add some much-needed organization. Put simply, Buffer automates the timing of social media posts so that a user can compose a slew of updates in a short period of time, and then add them to the Buffer queue. Forthwith, Buffer will check the overall reposting patterns of the various social media services, and post one’s updates at what it deems to be appropriate times, thereby attempting to increase likes, reposts, and replies. When readers are skeptical of Buffer’s suggestions, they may override and time posts themselves. For readers who take their social media presence seriously, Buffer can expedite the process. This will be added to Social Informatics Subject Tracer™. This will be added to Entrepreneurial Resources Subject Tracer™. From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2015. https://www.scout.wisc.edu

For readers who would like to design simple apps for their small businesses, classrooms, nonprofits, or other groups, AppsBar can be a helpful service. Readers will want to begin by creating a free account. From there, it can be useful to explore the various templates and code libraries from which one may create a customized app. Typically, it takes three to four hours for first-time users to create an app using AppsBar. However, most users find that the second time around takes about half as much time. While the service is a little rigid, and some users report wanting more flexibility, for ease of use, AppsBar is hard to beat. This will be added to Script Resources Subject Tracer™. This will be added to Entrepreneurial Resources Subject Tracer™. This will be added to the tools section of Research Resources Subject Tracer™. From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2015. https://www.scout.wisc.edu

While this visually simple service leaves something to be desired in terms of aesthetics, it is a powerful tool for readers who may sometimes find themselves befuddled by the multitude of terminologies in the medical world. Readers who have a confusing medical word or phrase that they want to understand may simply type or paste it into the search box. For instance, entering “kainic acid” returns the explanation that this substance is “a glutamate analogue that exhibits powerful and long-acting excitatory and toxic activity on neurons.” The search engine also allows readers to select “fuzzy search” when they are not certain how to spell a term. This activates an Internet-wide search that clarifies the search. In addition, readers may scout the dictionary by letter, which can make for hours of entertainment as one scrolls through definitions of C factors, C fibers, C genes, C group viruses, and so on. This will be added to Healthcare Resources Subject Tracer™. From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2015. https://www.scout.wisc.edu

While Britain’s National Stem Centre website is loaded with resources related to science, technology, engineering, and math, the technology section is particularly noteworthy. Here readers will find 1,353 unique resources. Topics are aimed at different age groups beginning in elementary school and ending in high school. Subjects include everything from engineering to the culinary arts and usually include multiple resources. For instance, Water for the World, a series of activities designed for high school students, includes a four-minute video, teacher’s notes and a technical brief (both in PDF format), and a PowerPoint presentation. One caveat: the site requires a free sign up that takes several minutes and asks for information regarding one’s roles (e.g. teacher, administrator, etc.) and the institution for which one works. This will be added to Student Research Resources Subject Tracer™. This will be added to Education and Academic Resources Subject Tracer™. From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2015. https://www.scout.wisc.edu

This project builds on and enhances previous work carried out as part of the JISC-funded Depot project. One of the secondary objectives of the Depot was to devise an unmediated (computer-assisted) reception and referral service, called Repository Junction (RJ), which collected information in order to redirect users to existing Institutional Repository (IR) services. This activity supported the principal task of the Depot, which was to provide a repository for author/researchers at institutions that did not yet have an IR. Within the Depot, the RJ component carried out the following functions: i)Working out the institutional affiliation of potential depositors (e.g. by IP lookup; ii)Query of external directories to locate an appropriate location for deposit; and iii)Re-direction of user to the most appropriate repository, given a positive match. This will be added to the tools section of Research Resources Subject Tracer™.

Having trouble finding good images for your print or web project? Tired of bouncing from website to website? Our handy image finder tool lets you search several sites from one handy location. Type your search term in the input box, select the photo site of your choosing, and click “Find Related Images!” It’s that easy! Please keep in mind that these images may require permission to use, contact the publisher if you have questions. This will be added to Entrepreneurial Resources Subject Tracer™. This will be added to World Wide Web Reference Subject Tracer™.